Department of Pediatric Immunology and Allergy, University of Health Sciences, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Children Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Turk J Med Sci. 2023 Feb;53(1):360-365. doi: 10.55730/1300-0144.5592. Epub 2023 Feb 22.
Animal dander is one of the most common respiratory allergens in children, and there is evidence that cat sensitivity is a risk factor for asthma and allergic rhinitis. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate children with cat sensitivity and to identify their demographic and clinical characteristics.
Patients who were found to be sensitive to cats following skin prick tests performed in our allergy clinic over a period of one year (and two control groups), were included in the study. Patients in the study and control groups filled in a questionnaire including demographic and clinical characteristics.
The prevalence of cat sensitivity in our allergy clinic was 6% (182/3033). The most common diagnoses in patients were 41.8% allergic rhinitis, 25.8% asthma, and 13.2% allergic rhinitis + asthma. Allergic rhinitis symptoms were the most prevalent symptom associated with cat contact (29.4%), whereas 28% of the patients were asymptomatic. Only 17.3% had a cat at home and 13.4% had cat exposure apart from home but having a cat at home was significantly higher than the control groups (p < 0.05). Eosinophilia was present in 54.6% of the patients, and 17.3% had blood tIgE levels of >1000 IU/mL. Eosinophilia and tIgE levels were significantly higher than both control groups (p < 0.05).
Cat ownership can affect the development of cat sensitivity but the majority of patients with cat sensitivity are not cat owners. Elevated tIgE levels (> 1000 IU/mL) may be associated with cat sensitivity, these patients should be evaluated for cat sensitivity, even if they do not report symptoms with cat contact.
动物皮屑是儿童最常见的呼吸道过敏原之一，有证据表明，对猫的敏感性是哮喘和过敏性鼻炎的危险因素。在这项研究中，我们旨在评估对猫敏感的儿童，并确定他们的人口统计学和临床特征。
在我们过敏诊所进行的皮肤点刺试验发现对猫敏感的患者（以及两个对照组）被纳入研究。研究组和对照组的患者都填写了一份包括人口统计学和临床特征的问卷。
我们过敏诊所对猫的敏感性的患病率为 6%（182/3033）。患者最常见的诊断是过敏性鼻炎占 41.8%、哮喘占 25.8%、过敏性鼻炎+哮喘占 13.2%。与猫接触相关的最常见症状是过敏性鼻炎症状（29.4%），而 28%的患者无症状。只有 17.3%的患者家里养猫，而 13.4%的患者家里养猫，但家里养猫的比例明显高于对照组（p < 0.05）。54.6%的患者存在嗜酸性粒细胞增多，17.3%的患者血液 tIgE 水平> 1000 IU/mL。嗜酸性粒细胞增多和 tIgE 水平均明显高于两组对照组（p < 0.05）。
猫的拥有可以影响猫敏感性的发展，但大多数对猫敏感的患者不是猫主人。升高的 tIgE 水平（> 1000 IU/mL）可能与猫敏感性有关，即使这些患者在与猫接触时没有报告症状，也应评估他们对猫的敏感性。
